Paper Planes
by limitedvocab
Summary: Paper planes can be allegorical. A long oneshot. Tryan.


**Paper planes**

_Paper planes are fun to make. There is no need for jet engines or hydrogen and oxygen propellants to drive these planes. Simple physics is all you need. _

_It is an amazing sight when you release them into the embrace of the sky._

_Its simplicity is what made it so beautiful._

_It is amazing how a paper can just glide in the air. It does not matter what paper you used. It really doesn't. It can be a clean sheet of paper or one that is smudged and stained._

* * *

Ryan Evans was worn out, drained from all life and energy his frail vessel contained. Today was taxing.

Mrs Darbus was demanding. She had forced them to practice between classes even with the exams round the corner.

But that did not mean his other ordinary days were better. There were just less taxing. Less stressful but a bit more depressing.

Things seemed so scheduled and planned.

People cared so much of the future that they had actually forgotten about the present. They had neglected those around them for all they could see was an illusion of a day that might probably never come.

Ryan sighed and removed his flatcap.

_What joy life is_, he thought sardonically. It seemed so dull and predictable. Doing the same thing again and again. If it was ever going to change, it would only get uglier.

He halted in midstride and raised his head, observing the clear blue sky. At times he wished he could just stretch his arms and fly.

His blue eyes widened as a green paper plane shot out from the arts room into the air, gliding smoothly in the air.

Not knowing why, he started to chase the paper plane. He could not be bothered that he had dropped all his files and books on the hot tarmac floor. Bumping into people and nearly got ran over by a car.

He could not care.

All he wanted was to follow the paper plane. It was beautiful, its lime green body against the blue sky.

Slowly, in a smooth parabolic path, the paper plane landed gracefully on the field of East High. Rushing forward, he threw his bag onto the floor.

It was restraining him.

The blond picked the paper plane up, studying its simple structure. He could see the word 'spend' and 'you' on its wings.

Gingerly he unfolded the green wings, curious of its content. Reading the words on the paper he smiled.

He picked up his bag as he could hear Sharpay's scream from a distance. He laughed and folded the paper.

On the paper:

'_Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you.' _

_Annie Dillard_

* * *

Troy Bolton walked sluggishly to the school theater. Life was certainly monotonous. It was no different from the stagnant water of a pond.

Not a ripple of excitement or life.

He groaned as he approached the horrifying place. He could already hear Mrs Darbus's voice behind the closed doors. The brunet scowled at the notion of spending his afternoon here.

With a sigh, he opened the door and quickly, he ran inside, hiding in the shadows. Now, he felt like an idiot. Why was he snooping around when he was supposed to be here?

For once in his life, he wished he could honestly live. Live for himself and for no one else. He did not want to be Troy Bolton, the golden boy of East High. He just wanted to be Troy Bolton. Not _the_ Troy Bolton.

Living in the dreams of his father and friends, he was more dead than alive.

Troy rushed to the back of the stage, avoiding Mrs Darbus. He could really do without her long lecture on punctuality.

Dropping his bag on the floor, he noted a lime green paper plane placed on a wooden bench.

He frowned. Did he just not throw that paper plane out of a window a few days back? How did it end up here?

He took the paper plane and unfolded it to find another quotation beneath his. He scanned the place. Did someone pick it up?

Who?

Hearing his name being called, he slipped the paper into his bag.

Deep in his heart, he thanked whoever who had picked it. It made him realized something important.

'_Every man dies. Not every man really lives'_

_Braveheart_

* * *

Ryan Evans yawned and stretched deliciously after their long lesson on thermodynamics. His clear blue eyes observed the fine white clouds that dotted the sky.

He had many things to do – little errands to execute, personal matters to settle and choreograph a number of dances. He was not a good juggler. To juggle from one task to another, something awful was bound to happen.

He averted his gaze from the sky to his fellow classmates who were rushing out of the door. There was no need to rush back home.

Focusing his thoughts back to his current position, he mumbled his dissatisfaction to the air. What should he do? He could of course settle his personal matters last since it was the least prominent. But it was these personal matters that were causing so much trouble.

They were interfering with his duties and studies. Most of them involved his bossy sister Sharpay and her annoying dog.

The other one – Ryan Evans' crush, Troy Bolton.

Taking his own sweet time, he packed and cleared his table. Ryan raised his head and studied the room one last time only to have his eyes settled on a paper plane made from a used graph paper.

He cocked his brows.

He lost his green paper plane four days ago. And today, there was another thorn paper plane at the back of the class. He bit his lips, resisting the temptation to take the paper plane.

Oh but the temptation was strong. Could it be the same person who had threw the green paper plane out of the window a week back?

He looked left and right before he made a mad dash to the back.

What lesson would he learn today?

Laughter escaped his lips when he read the content.

_How true_, Ryan thought.

'_Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.'_

_Nicolas de Chamfort_

_

* * *

_Troy Bolton sat on the cold steps of East High, deep in thought. He read aloud the quotation on the green paper, the eight times since the last four days.

How dead was he?

_Pretty dead_, he thought.

All he did in his life was lying and hiding.

He lied to his father that he loved basketball. He lied to his friends that he loved his life. He lied to Gabriella that he loved her.

He hid his true passion from his father. He hid his distaste from his friends. He hid his feelings from Ryan Evans.

Troy rubbed his temple.

He had already come clean to his father and friends. They accepted every single word he said. They did not argue with him. Instead they parted words of wisdom. Things went pretty well.

Not really.

Gabriella was mad. She slapped him and cold shouldered him ever since their huge confrontation. Troy did not blame her. Afterall, this was his fault. He tried to give her his heart but he just could not. Something held him back.

His love for Ryan Evans.

He sighed. He did everything except confessing his love to Ryan Evans. He dared not. He did not want to sacrifice his friendship with the blond.

He rather kept quiet about that.

He gazed the sky, registering the presence of two dancing butterflies above him and also a falling paper plane.

He raised his hand to catch the thorn paper plane. With raised brows, he unfolded the paper plane.

'_Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.'_

_Sydney J. Harris_

* * *

Ryan Evans simply shrugged when Sharpay asked for his opinion. What could he say? He knew absolutely nothing about the recent break up of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez.

It was better if he did not get himself involved in such matters. It could prove problematic. It would be better to focus on their last rehearsal right now. Let Troy and Gabriella settle their problem.

Sharpay however thought otherwise. She would bother Ryan with all those annoying questions.

Could she not see that they were in the middle of a rehearsal?

Did she fail to see the anger in Mrs Darbus' eyes?

She was annoying. He admitted that. His sister could be extremely annoying at times. He could not blame her. She was only human.

Still he wished she could shut her mouth and dance properly. Her heels were killing his toes. He cringed as she slammed her pink stiletto on his toes again. Was that on purpose?

After the painful rehearsal, he limped to the back.

On his way to the back, he noted a small red paper plane on the floor. He halted and scanned the room. Quickly, he pocketed the thing and limped away with a big grin.

'_I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.'_

_Diane Ackerman_

* * *

Troy groaned while he lugged Chad's and Zeke's bags. What bad luck. He made a mental note never again to bet with those two. The horror. Now he had to be their personal butler and chauffeur for a week!

The guts of them!

Shaking his head, he cleared his mind from the bet and pondered who had taken the red paper plane. He planned on asking today. He would like to known who was it that wrote all those quotes.

Again he groaned, louder this time.

He would make them pay.

Walking closely behind the Evans twins, his eyes lingered on Ryan Evans momentarily. Quickly he averted his eyes when the blond glanced around. His face red under the ice blue gaze.

_Oh God, Oh God_, he chanted in his head as he avoided Ryan's gaze.

He halted and pretended to be observing something in the sky. When they were far enough, he would start moving. Problem was, only one of them was moving and that one was Sharpay.

Ryan Evans scrutinized Troy momentarily and gazed up. His brows furrowed, seeing nothing amusing in the sky. With a shrug he walked off, dropping something.

Troy sighed in relief and gazed at the dropped object.

It was a red paper plane.

Dropping Chad's and Zeke's stuff on the ground, he collected the paper plane with trembling hands. He gulped as he opened it, eyes scanned the paper quickly.

Not wanting to lose this opportunity, Troy ran forward, neglecting Chad's mad hollering. He gripped Ryan's shoulder, asking the blond to stop.

He handed Ryan the red paper plane and confessed. He told Ryan about the paper planes and his true feeling, not wanting to leave anything out.

'_Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.'_

_Author Unknown_

* * *

Months had past after that confession. Troy Bolton and Ryan Evans were now lovers.

Laughing merrily, they ran barefooted down the gentle slope. Troy was chasing after Ryan who was holding up a yellow paper plane.

The brunet pounced on the smaller boy. "Give it to me!"

"In your dreams!" Ryan laughed, pushing Troy away.

"I have no choice but to use force!" Troy warned as he tickled Ryan.

"Ok! Ok!" Ryan handed Troy the paper plane. "But with one condition."

Troy rolled his eyes. "What condition?"

"We release it together."

"That's fine with me." Troy smiled as he pulled Ryan up.

Linking their fingers, they both released the yellow paper plane.

The two lovebirds stood there motionless as they watched the paper plane soared high up in the sky. It felt good.

Fingers still linked, Troy lowered his head and kissed Ryan gently on the lips.

'_Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.'_

_James Dean_

* * *

_Not only do these planes bear messages, they have other purposes too. They symbolize things that we at times find difficulty in explaining. _

_Their tiny wings slicing the air symbolize hope. _

_Their motion in the sky symbolizes freedom._

_Their entire journey symbolizes life._

_The paper plane itself, symbolize a man._

* * *

**Author:** Sorry if it is too long for a oneshot. Terribly sorry. Just wanted to share to the world my fascination for paper planes and some of my favourite quotes.


End file.
